Microsoft Dynamics ERP RapidStart Services lets partners and customers configure an installation of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 by using a cloud-based, interview-style questionnaire. The questionnaire uses general terminology about business processes instead of terms that are specific to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

You can create a configuration and then reuse the configuration as a template for customers who do business in the same industry. Microsoft provides some content that you can use as a starting point to configure an implementation of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. However, you can add question groups and questions to the questionnaire to enlarge the scope of a RapidStart Services configuration project. You can also add questions to help configure a custom solution for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

You can sign up for RapidStart Services, work with the questionnaire, and create RapidStart Services configuration projects that are not linked to a specific installation of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. For more information, see Try out Microsoft Dynamics ERP RapidStart Services.

When you are ready to use RapidStart Services to set up Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for a customer, you must first install prerequisite applications on the computer that is running the customer’s instance of Microsoft Dynamics AX Application Object Server (AOS). These additional applications enable the AOS instance to connect to and load information from the configuration project in RapidStart Services. For more information, see Install the Microsoft Dynamics ERP RapidStart Connector for RapidStart Services.

The topics in this section provide an overview of the structure of RapidStart Services. The topics also provide an overview of the applications that must be installed before you can use RapidStart Services to configure an installation of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. The topics might also help you research and resolve issues when you use RapidStart Services.